


Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk

by WinglessCrows



Series: Through the Eyes of a Cook [27]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Whole Cake Island Arc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-05-27 07:43:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15019910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinglessCrows/pseuds/WinglessCrows
Summary: Sanji gets taken by Capone to follow Big Mom's bidding and marry one of her daughters, but Sanji doesn't plan on sitting tight.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written a loooong time ago. Like, this was written before we even had ten chapters of Whole Cake Island, so while I say this a "Canon Divergence", it's actually just because I had no idea what would happen in the arc at the time.

"I promise I'll be back. Tell everyone I said hi."

Holding Caesar captive and securing his own safety was all that Sanji could do for the time being. He had made sure to get Nami, Chopper and Brook to the safe paws of Nekomamushi and although he couldn't feel Capone's body moving, he was almost certain that they were no longer on Zou. The fake Capone and most of his men were no longer inside Capone's castle, but instead manning their ship, making their way to Whole Cake Island, where the Yonkou Big Mom was awaiting their arrival. Depending on where the elephant had been walking, it would probably be a couple of days until they arrived at the island, which gave Sanji plenty of time to formulate some sort of plan that would keep him out of harms way as well as insure his status as a single man. He could faintly hear Caesar mumbling some nonsense behind him, but Sanji didn't really care what the stupid gas clown was thinking, so he shut him out, trying to get a grip of his situation.

Sanji never really got very far as the floor beneath him suddenly started moving and he was ejected out of Capone's body. He was expecting to land on a hard surface and braced himself for the worst, when he just landed on a soft mattress.

"Enjoy the rest of the voyage," Sanji heard Capone say somewhere behind him, but before he could turn his head, the door had already been shut and locked. Sanji took a look around. The room was quite big and luxurious considering that it was supposed to be a prison cell, but then again, they had probably been instructed to treat him as a fucking porcelain doll with high standards or something shitty like that, so Sanji could only sigh. The room had no windows, but two doors, one of which Capone had locked and the other lead to a small bathroom, complete with a shower and everything. The bedroom had a big king sized bed with silk linens and big fluffy pillows that would have entertained Luffy for hours. There was a desk with a few books, a pen and some paper, as well as a closet with extra blankets and an extra set of clothes, which Sanji could only assume he would be forced to wear when they arrived at Whole Cake Island.

Sanji fell to the bed and resumed his thinking. The first thing to do was to round up the hard facts.

Sanji knew that he was wanted  _only alive_ and he was being treated with care, meaning that someone with a whole lot of power (his father) would be quite angry with Capone if he were to get hurt. Being wanted  _only alive_ meant that he could move more freely as he couldn't get killed, but at the same time he was alone in enemy territory, and the enemies were his family, who, even if Sanji didn't share history with, were strong as hell and well out of Sanji's league.

Sanji also knew that Big Mom wanted Caesar, but that his well being wasn't important (or at least not as important as his). He knew that Caesar had tricked them into giving him funds for his very immoral experiments, which meant that Big Mom probably wanted to punish him. Whether she wanted him dead or wanted him to work for her after she had tortured him, Sanji couldn't possibly hope to guess. The only important thing was that Caesar could still be used as a hostage and trading material.

Sanji knew that he was engaged to a stranger named Pudding who, apparently, was the 35th daughter of Big Mom herself. Sanji could hardly imagine what it must be like to give birth that many times, but he ended up concluding that Big Mom probably had more adoptive daughters than actual daughters, but that wasn't really relevant. The fact of the matter was that Sanji was to get married to some girl, and as much as he loved women and all there was to them, he also knew that getting married would mean that he would no longer be a Strawhat and there was no way in hell that he was going to let that happen. Sanji was very proud to be a part of the Strawhats and he loved everyone from his crew very dearly (yes, even the goddamn marimo).

Lastly, Sanji knew that his little farewell and promise of coming back would be believed by approximately no one and his Captain was not the kind of guy, who would let anyone from his crew get taking away. Look at what happened with Robin. When the Captain declares war against the world for a single woman to be saved, you know there is no stopping him from getting back his cook, when Luffy's one true love was and always would be: Food. The only thing was that Luffy and the rest needed to reach Zou (which would take a while, since Zunisha had been walking away from Dressrosa). They also wouldn't leave Dressrosa until everyone was fully healed (or claimed they were) and even though Luffy, Law and Zoro were strong, so was Doflamingo. Moreover, he was a cunning bastard, who had no doubt been difficult for Luffy to deal with, but Sanji had never had a speck of doubt that Luffy could take him down. Sanji remembered well the day he, Nami, Chopper and Brook had gathered around the newspaper to read about the events of Dressrosa and Doflamingo's fall from power.

When Luffy would eventually reach Zou, there would still be explaining and (some) planning to do before they could come after Sanji and this was all according to Sanji's best case scenario. There was no telling what could happen, since Luffy was a trouble magnet and Sanji wouldn't be surprised if Luffy ran into a Yonkou or two while he was taking a casual stroll through a forest.

All of this meant that Sanji had to keep himself from getting married (or killed if he just resisted too much) until his crew came for him, and they most certainly would come for him, the question was just: How? He'd be deep in Yonkou territory and his 'family' would be there. Now, Sanji wasn't a big fan of calling the Vinsmokes his family as he 1) hated all of them and 2) regarded his crew as his only family.

Sanji rolled over onto his side and stared at locked door. He wanted to get away. He wanted to get away so badly. He wanted to escape, run away and never face this part of life ever again, but he knew that that was both not an option and also the cowardly thing to do and the New World had no time to spare for cowards. Sanji could only hope that Luffy would come and save him from this mess before it destroyed him, because, right now, Sanji felt nothing but fear and loneliness, and he began to realize just how much he needed his crew to be strong. With his crew Sanji had no doubts and no fears, he felt warm, happy, wanted... and now as he got closer and closer to the ones whom he had tried so hard to reject and forget, he once again felt cold, afraid and lost. He wanted to cry, but he couldn't, not yet. His tears were his fear of the past and his love for his crew. His tears were a sign of weakness in the eyes of the enemy and a sign of having been strong for too long in the eyes of his friends. His tears would never spill in front of those he heated, but he would cry a river once he was back with his loved ones. He curled closer into himself and clung to the memories of his crew as sleep whisked him away.

Sanji awoke to the sound of something scratching the floor and saw a tray of food being pushed through a small opening in the door. Sanji knew that it would do no good to deny the food and he wasn't going to waste it, so he picked up the tray and began eating. Under normal circumstances, Sanji was a big food enthusiast, being a cook and all that, but at the moment he wasn't even tasting the food, even though it looked quite delicious (but Sanji could've made this in his sleep and it would probably still taste better). Sanji had gone back to thinking. It had been eight days since Luffy had beaten Doflamingo, which meant that they could arrive at Zou at any minute now. However, there were still things to sort out. Even if Sanji was lucky and Luffy arrived the same day that he had been kidnapped (yes this was a kidnapping), he knew very well that travelling at night, especially in the New World, was risky and there was no way they would leave before the next morning and apart from all of that, there was still the issue of the Samurai. Sanji was, as it turns out, in on the big secret relationship between the minks and the Samurai of the Kouzuki clan. Sanji had been drinking with Inuarashi one day and the dog had accidentally let it slip that they were in fact protecting Raizou (though very much against his will) and Sanji would be lying if he said that the whole story hadn't brought a tear to his eye. But just because they were on good terms and Kinemon arriving wouldn't result in a big war, it did not leave out the fact that there was a lot of unfinished business concerning the minks and the Samurai, and Luffy would of course be there to help out however he could.

There was also the issue of Kaido. By defeating Doflamingo, Kaido was sure to go after them and Law would be sure to keep reminding them of that fact and no matter how amazing Luffy was, he could not have a war with two Yonkou at the same time, which made Sanji rethink his approach to the whole wedding thing. Of course, he was still against getting married, but there had to be some way for them to get on Big Mom's good side. Disregarding the Vinsmokes, who most certainly couldn't be trusted, Sanji could easily get close to Big Mom with his skills as a cook and if he could turn Big Mom against the Vinsmokes and thus make the wedding a bad deal for her, everything would be great. Unfortunately, this was all a very optimistic idea in Sanji's head and there was no way he could make that happen... at least not as smoothly and problem free as wanted, but he could always try. For a moment Sanji thought he had some sort of plan formed in his head, until he remembered one crucial thing, smacked himself in the head and collapsed unto the bed. Luffy had already declared war on Big Mom back on Fishman Island, as well as taken some of her territory... great.

Sanji was desperate for some way to turn this situation of his into something positive that could be of help to the crew, because if he did not that would make him the sole reason that the crew had more problems than they could handle at the moment. Sanji wasn't one for feeling guilty, especially not over something as stupid as this, seeing as he had done nothing to provoke a kidnapping and an arranged marriage, but some situations are just different and right now Sanji was feeling so guilty he might as well throw up. Having Kaido, Big Mom and the Vinsmokes as their enemies at the same time was not something they would be able to handle, even with Law by their side, who, last Sanji had seen him (and heard him), was in a very critical health state. He was alive according to the newspaper and Sanji knew that Luffy wouldn't let him die even if he wanted to (again look at Robin), but there was no telling what condition he was in.

They had all trained for two years to become stronger, so that nothing could separate them again and yet, they kept getting separated by stronger powers. When Big Mom had come for them in Dressrosa, they had had no choice but to flee, because they were nowhere near strong enough to take on a Yonkou  _and_ a Shichibukai at the same time and now this. Sanji cursed himself for not being stronger, cursed the world for keeping them apart and cursed the godforsaken blood he had running through his veins. He almost screamed, but only almost, because despite his self loathe, he was painfully aware of his situation and he could not afford to show any weakness.

Since there were no windows in his fancy prison cell, Sanji found it hard to tell the time, but judging by the meal and the time it had been when they had left Zou, it was safe to say that the day was almost over. Sanji could only hope that it would take him a long time to reach Big Mom and Luffy a short time to reach him.

Sanji decided to sleep and judge tomorrow when it came.


	2. Chapter 2

Sanji awoke to the sound of the hatch opening and a tray with breakfast sliding through. For a second he had forgotten where he was and had expected to wake up to serve his friends and the minks some delicious food, but reality hit him hard and his expression dropped. Sanji obediently ate the food and placed the tray by the hatch when he was done. Afterwards he took a shower. As he showered he closed his eyes, focused on the slight rocking of the ship and pretended that he was on the Sunny. He hummed the tunes to  _Bink's Saké_ and imagined Brook playing his violin on deck. He recalled the laughter of Luffy, Usopp and Chopper as the ran around playing tag or some other game and he imagined Zoro yelling at then when they woke him from his nap and Robin chuckling at the sight. He imagined Nami's voice telling Franky to steer the ship away from an approaching storm and Franky's responding voice. The memories of his crew would give him the strength he needed to carry on and when he had cleared his mind of all his fears, he turned off the water and put together a definitive plan.

It took them almost a week to get to Whole Cake Island (it wasn't actually Whole Cake Island, but one of the Totlands where they had their first stop) and in that time Sanji had played the role of a difficult prisoner, while carefully observing his enemies. So far they had tried to sway him with an empty promise of sparing his friends and showing him how beautiful miss Pudding was, and although he had been shocked that his fiancée was nowhere near as ugly as he had expected, he was still firmly against the marriage. However, she was a crucial part of his plan and he could only hope that Big Mom loved her daughters dearly. Sanji had been told that upon arriving he would be allowed a meeting with her and as a good tactician he had tricked them into allowing the meeting to be private. The meeting would set off the first step in his plan.

They arrived at Whole Cake Island in the early afternoon and Sanji had been slightly surprised at the fact that it was snowing cotton candy, but seeing as this was the Grand Line and the island itself was made of cake, it really shouldn't have surprised him. He was then taken to shore and guided to a small caramel garden, where he was told to wait for Pudding. After the guards had left he waited for five minutes until she arrived and it stung his heart, if just a tiny bit, that he could not allow himself a chance with this girl, because she was by all definitions a beauty. She was almost as tall as him, but with a kind face and a lovely smile. Her hair was long, brown and curly, but carefully tied in two pigtails to show her face. She wore baggy trousers and a tight blouse, which complimented her figure, but without revealing too much. She was truly a sight for the eyes, but Sanji could not let himself be swayed by the mere looks of a pretty girl and composed himself. He acted the part and however bad he might feel for using a woman, his crew was always first priority and he wouldn't be directly hurting her... besides she couldn't be too on board with this arranged marriage either. So he played the part of the charming prince, who sadly couldn't be with her and he made sure to point out all the things they had in common and emphasise just how horrible it was that he couldn't marry her.

This was the first part of the plan. He had to make this girl like him. It didn't matter if she fell in love with him or not, she just had to like him. At the same time she had to be aware of the fact that he was against the marriage and also be fine with it. Only with these two conditions could Sanji move on to the next part of his plan. Sanji's ultimate goal was an audience with Big Mom herself and he would be able to gain that through Pudding.

As the meeting came through an end, Sanji thought that he had succeeded, but one last look at Pudding told him that he hadn't. She had been acting just as much him. There was no love in her eyes, just calm calculation and Sanji cursed as he walked away from her. He had to find a new way to get to Big Mom.

Sanji boarded Capone's ship once again and was escorted into his comfy prison cell, where he was told he would be for another day. This allowed Sanji to find a new approach to his plan. It would have been easiest to have Pudding on his side when trying to persuade Big Mom to call off the marriage, because it's hard to marry two people who are both against it, but Pudding could not be trusted, so he had to find some other way. The best way to call off the marriage would be to convince Big Mom that the Vinsmokes were out to use her and that she wouldn't actually gain anything from the marriage.. or convince her that she someone as powerful as her shouldn't settle for the third son. He gathered that the first option would be the best solution as it would completely terminate any alliance between the forces, as well as hopefully give his family a really strong and powerful enemy. Sanji thought out the details of his plan B before he decided to sleep.

They arrived at Whole Cake Island with the rising of the sun and Sanji took in the sight. The island was a large cake to put it simply. A bit crooked in places, but it was standing and Sanji wondered what they did if the food ever turned. He supposed they would eat it and replace it with fresh cake, but maybe the magic of the place would allow it to never go bad, who knew? When the ship had docked Sanji was escorted by Capone and ten of his men to the castle where big Mom herself lived. So far he had only been told that he would be given a room, which he would not leave until told otherwise. Sanji had of course agreed, because doing anything else would be stupid, but that didn't mean that he was actually going to do as he was told. They walked for quite some time and they even passed the capital, Sweet City, which Sanji would have loved to explore further, but if he was going to stay in the castle, chances was that he was going to be surrounded by sweets anyway. When they finally arrived at the castle Capone reported to a guard and they were let inside. Sanji really wanted to stay and examine this candy castle, but before he could even get a good look he was guided by some of Big Mum's men up a staircase made of caramel and mint and into a grand bedroom. This bedroom was so big that Sanji was sure that the Going Merry could have fit inside it and he spent a good thirty seconds just looking at it. He faintly heard to door getting closed, but not locked, behind him, which probably meant that they were sure that he wouldn't be stupid enough to try to escape... or smart enough to pull it off. Despite the size of the room there wasn't much in it, it was mostly decorations and some basic furniture. There was a big, fancy bed, of course, with night stands, oil lamps and empty frames. There was a closet which could fit all the clothes which the strawhats owned and more. There was a chandelier with coloured candles and golden flames and a rug made from a polar bear bigger than Sanji had ever seen them. Opposite the door was a balcony. It was facing the ocean and from the position of the sun and the time of the day, Sanji figured that he would be able to see the sunset from his room. There was no door leading to a bathroom, but since they had left the door open there would be no need for them to provide him with a room that had an attached bathroom.

As Sanji admired his new room and took a little bite of a chair made of a rich chocolate he heard the chiming of a bell. Having no idea what it meant Sanji peaked outside and found a guard right outside his room and asked what it was all about. The guard then explained that the bell would chime five times a day, one for each meal Big Mom would eat. Sanji let out a quiet laugh as he thought of his gluttonous captain he could probably eat just as much as Big Mom despite her being many times Luffy's size. Sanji had yet to see Big Mom, but he had heard the rumours and from his experience, the rumours heard on the Grand Line tended to be true. Especially the crazy ones.

Sanji went back into his room and walked out on the balcony. There were two guards standing by a small open gate beneath him, but other than them there was no one in sight. So Sanji jumped. He jumped right down and landed on one of the guards and kicked the other before he knew what had happened. They were both out cold before Sanji's feet hit the ground. Sanji then proceeded to look through the gate and was met with a lively courtyard. There were people of all manners and races in the yard, all doing there own thing. Some where carrying laundry, some were sparring with wooden swords, but most were carrying food. Whether it be cooked food or sweets, or raw meat and heavy cream, it didn't matter, what was important was that it could lead Sanji to the kitchens.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a boy. He was younger than him, probably also younger than Luffy, but he was just as tall as Sanji and he carried a basket of eggs. It did not take Sanji long to see which direction he was going in and decided to follow him hoping it would lead him to the kitchens. He had only been following the boy for a minute when the boy stopped and in a short conversation confirmed that he was, in fact, going to the kitchens. Sanji then waited until the boy rounded a corner, stole the basket and knocked the boy out. He switched their clothes and hid the boy away where he hopefully wouldn't be found for a good while, and perfected his disguise. He pulled his hair back and tied it into a small ponytail and kept his fringe long enough to cover his right eyebrow, but not his eye, as one covered eye was his trademark look. He then took the basket and disguised as what he assumed was the look of Big Mom's kitchen boys, he made his way to the kitchens.

The kitchens were loud and crowded. There were many sections, some for fish, some for chicken, some for beef, but most for different kinds of sweets. Sanji delivered the eggs to the woman who yelled at him for being late and decided that until he had learned more about the habits and specific duties of the kitchen he would allow himself to be ordered around. Needlessly to say he was given the cliché and boring job of peeling potatoes. Fortunately for Sanji, a boring job that did not require leaving the kitchens was just what he needed, because now he could listen in on conversations without people questioning why he was where he was.

Sanji learned that the next meal for Big Mom was to be served during tea time at three o'clock. Apparently the theme this time was chocolate, so all the snacks would have to contain just that. There was a big clock in the middle of the main kitchen, which Sanji could only just see and he made sure to work fast so that he would be done in time to get his plan started. With only half an hour left until tea time Sanji finished peeling all the potatoes and snuck into a kitchen labelled:  _soft sweets._ There were only three people, only problem was that one of them was a girl, so Sanji couldn't hurt her. He had no other kitchen to go to though, because they were all filled with many people and if he took out too many chefs, people would notice the lack of food. So Sanji just had to improvise a little. He took out the dudes and before the girl could scream he covered her mouth and smiled at her.

"Hi," he started, "You don't know me, but I want to make the best sweet Big Mom has ever tasted, but I would really like an assistant, won't you help me?"

"How can I know that you don't want to kill her? You could poison the food!" She protested, but still quietly as she was most likely afraid that he would kick her too should she scream for help.

"I promise I won't and to prove it too you, I'll eat a bit of it myself when I'm done, sounds good?"

The girl nodded, but Sanji was sure that she was still scared of him. Not that he could blame her though, but he needed to work here and he didn't have time to convince her further. So they got to work and Sanji made the best chocolate cake he could (it was almost an insult to call it a cake, because it truly was so much more), which he was sure would impress the Yonkou. When he was done and the girl had taken the food to whoever would pass it on to Big Mom, he went back to the woman who had yelled at him and took a new order from her. This time he was to clean the kitchens before the chefs came back for their break.

Half past three Sanji was not even close to being done cleaning, but a guard came to the kitchen with an announcement. He asked for the chef who had made the chocolate cake and Sanji quickly made himself known. The guard then let him out of the kitchens and into the great dining hall where Big Mom herself was sitting. To Sanji's big surprise Big Mom was dining with a familiar and friendly face, namely Jinbe, and it seemed that Jinbe was just as surprised as him. However, his presence alone gave Sanji the courage he needed.

"Are you the chef who made this cake?" Big Mom said and Sanji stood straight as he answered:

"Yes, my lady, I made it. Did you find it to your liking?"

And she laughed: "Find it to my liking?! Boy! This is best thing I have ever put in my mouth and I have had a lot in my mouth, but boy, you are no chef of mine. You are Black Leg Sanji, and as far as I am concerned you swore, not even a day ago, to only make food for your friends. Do you consider the two of us friends?"

Sanji smiled and as a chef he choose to ignore the fact that he was speaking to a Yonkou and pretend that she was just a normal person whom he had cooked for.

"Unfortunately I cannot consider us friends as we have only just met, my lady," Sanji did remember to address her formally, because he honestly feared the worst if he accidentally disrespected her, "but I assure you that I bare no ill intent."

"If information and memory serve me right, you should be in a room in the castle and the guards should keep you there. Now, I will not blame you for leaving, you are a pirate and freedom is what you seek, but why did you make this for me?"

Sanji was surprised that Big Mom was as friendly as she was, but he suspected that there might be more to it than sheer kindness.

"I merely wanted an audience with you, my lady, and I heard that you liked sweets, so as a chef myself, I felt it my duty to share my talents with you."

"An audience you say, and what do you want now that you have it?"

"I would like to warn you about my family, my lady."

"You say you want to warn me, yet all I hear is you protesting to marry my daughter. Is she not good enough for you?" Sanji detected a hint of a threat, but remained confident.

"You are right, my lady, I am opposed to this marriage, though it has nothing to do with your lovely daughter, truth be told, she is one of the most beautiful woman I have seen. However, I truly believe that you are making a mistake with this wedding, think about it, my lady. You are marrying your daughter to the third son of a royal family, who doesn't have land nor a people to rule. Is it not an insult to someone as powerful as you to have you settle for the third in line? My family is hungry for power, my lady, and marrying me off is a part of their great plan. You see, as a pirate I live outside the law, and would it not be convenient for them to claim the marriage illegitimate as soon as they have what they want? They do not want to be publicly associated with pirates, because their aim lies within the world government, so what do you stand to gain through this marriage if they are unwilling to cooperate?"

Big Mom was silent for a while and Sanji suspected that she might just kill him then and there, and then demand that Pudding would wed one of his brothers, but then she laughed. And she laughed for a long time as Sanji and Jinbe just watched in silence.

Finally the laugher died and she responded: "You are brave like your captain, Black Leg, brave and reckless. There is a good chance that you are lying, but then again I cannot claim to trust you family, but tell me now, if you do not marry my daughter, why should I not kill you? Your captain wants to steal Fishman Island from me and if I recall he said something along the lines of wanting to kick my butt across the New World. I have no reason to keep you alive, when the person you work for is my enemy."

"On the contrary, my lady, I believe you and my captain would gain more from being friends than enemies. Now, understand that my captain does not want to work for you, but he does not want you to work him either. What I would suggest is a truce and perhaps a friendly relationship where we do not mind each others businesses. However, as my captain is quite stubborn it would be hard for him to give up his claim on Fishman Island, but in exchange for the island, we will give you three islands and I will be your personal chef until my crew comes for me."

"Let's say that I agree to this, which islands would you give me? I have not heard of any island which lives under your captain's flag."

"It will be three islands of your choosing, my lady, as long as the islands you chose lie within Kaido's territory."

She laughed again: "Kaido! You want to take some Kaido's territory and you expect to live after that?!"

"Don't get me wrong, my lady. We will not take some of Kaido's territory. We will defeat him and take all of it." Much of what Sanji had said could be doubted, by both Big Mom and himself, but this he didn't doubt. It didn't matter how strong Kaido was, if the Strawhats went against him, he would lose.

"You amuse me, boy!" Big Mom laughed again, "I do not compromise when I want something, but you and your captain interest me. For now, I will remember your offer, but I will not call off the wedding. As thanks for the cake I will not mention a word of this to your father, any member of your family or anyone associated with the Germa, but do not think that you have won, boy. If I find out that your family truly had no hidden agenda in this marriage, I can not guarantee the safety of your crew. Now leave. Jinbe, please escort our guest to his room."

Sanji gave a slight bow and followed Jinbe out the room. They both remained silent until the were safe from all ears in Sanji's room.

"I had not expected you to be the one who would marry Pudding," Jinbe said and eyed Sanji.

"What? Big Mom didn't tell you?"

"I only just arrived and was informed about the Vinsmokes, but to think that you came from that family... Luffy sure has a wide range of people in his crew."

Sanji laughed, "He does, and his offer is still open," Sanji smiled happily as Jinbe being there made everything so much better, "We all want you to join, and hopefully soon."

"Well, nothing is better than the present, right?" Jinbe answered and Sanji's eyes lit up. Jinbe was joining!

The two of them talked for a while, first it was mostly chit chat. A little about Fishman Island, a little about what Luffy had been up to and so on, but the conversation soon turned to a more strategic one. Sanji gave Jinbe all the information he had about his family and all the suspicions he had about them, and Jinbe informed him of Big Mom's nature, power and goals. The conversation ended when Sanji was summoned to the kitchens as he had promised to keep cooking for Big Mom.

So far everything seemed to go well and according to plan, but Luffy would soon arrive and only the gods could know what troubles he would bring with him. Sanji didn't mind too much though. Jinbe's presence made him feel more at ease, and as long as trouble just came after Luffy's arrival, it would be okay. Luffy would save him from whatever he needed to be saved from, be it Big Mom, his family or both of them. Luffy would save him, Sanji was sure of that.


End file.
